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Happy STD Awareness Month, everyone! Even though we all know that we should be aware of our sexual health every month, let’s pay really close attention this month. According to the Guttmacher Institute, people age 15-24 are responsible for almost half of new STD (also referred to as STI–Sexually Transmitted Infection) cases every year. There could be a few reasons for this:

1) We’re having more sex, with more people, than our older counterparts. Stands to reason that mathematical chance alone would account for some of the higher prevalence.

2) We’re not given the information or tools necessary to take charge of our own health. Take sex ed, for example. Only 21 states mandate sex ed in schools, and many teens are still having to sit through medically inaccurate, BS abstinence-only lessons. As far as access to services, every state theoretically allows teens to consent to sexual health care, but barriers still exist. The recent firestorm in Springfield over the School Committee’s decision to allow condom access and education for students illustrates the overwhelming resistance to acknowledging the sexual health needs of teens and young adults. The problem with shooing teen sex under the rug is that not addressing an issue doesn’t make it not exist.

3) We’re being stupid. Even with information and access, some people still choose to engage in unsafe behavior, or behavior that puts their partner(s) in an unsafe position. That is just nonsense; stop it. I recently read an article in which the author bragged about lying to her gyno. What!? I mean, I know doctors can be somewhat intimidating (especially if you’re in the younger end of that 15-24 age bracket), but come on. Would you lie to your PCP about flu symptoms or to your dermatologist about a mole?